Secrets are better kept
by zpeach
Summary: Set in Harry Potter's first year at Hogwarts is an alternate universe where a professor has a secret daughter about to attend her first year as well. How will this affect Harry and the plot?
1. And so it begins (Ch 1)

Sophia woke up just before her alarm went off. Today was the day she would be sorted into a house and meet the people she would be spending the next seven years with. A mixture of anxiety and excitement swelled in her chest. She was excited to go but what if the other students didn't like her, or worse, discovered her secret.

Sophia is the daughter of one of the Hogwarts professors. Her father decided to keep her a secret and continue to do so when she attended Hogwarts.

"It is for the best." He would always say. "Trust me."

Deciding not to question it she went along with it. She wondered if it would have been this way if her mother was still alive. She died when Sophia was about one year old when a robber tried to steal her money. She and her father weren't there but her mother had gone to the store that day to buy food for dinner. She sighed not wanting to dwell on the subject. Putting on her outfit and fixed her long brown hair. Once she was satisfied with her appearance she headed down stairs where her father was already waiting.

His eyes looked distant and he was wearing a causal muggle outfit, blue jeans and a fitted black leather jacket. When he noticed her coming, a flicker of annoyance appeared on his face.

"I don't know why you insist on going on the train. You are already at Hogwarts it is ridiculous that you feel the need to waste time on such an unnecessary trip."

"I just want the full experience!" She insisted. "I want to meet people on the train, maybe buy some candy…" His loud huff cut her off and he quickly led her outside of the castle, careful not to be spotted by anyone. He held out his arm for her and apparated with her to the train station.

They arrived in a deserted section of kings cross station hearing the distinct hustle and bustle of everyday life only a few feet away. Her father turned to her. "Now, Sophia what are you telling everyone your name is?"

She sighed. She must have been through this a thousand times. She looked confidently into her father's dark brown eyes. "Sophia Darlow".

"Good, remember you need to go to platform 9 ¾ . I will see you when you arrive back at school." He apparated away and Sophia was alone. She walked down the hallway and rounded the corner. She saw several children with trollies clearly heading for platform 9 ¾ , so she followed them.

Sophia was unnerved by the seemingly solid brick wall that was in front of her. It was hard to believe that this was the entrance, even though the children she had been following went through without a problem. She hurried after them. Standing all around her were swarms of people. Parents were saying goodbye to their children, and the children were quickly getting on the train greeting old friends and making new ones. Sophia quickly entered the train. Most spots were already taken up by students, so she headed further and further down the train until she found a spot with a boy about her age sitting. She sat in the seat opposite him. He looked over with a warm smile.

"Hi! My name is Theo! What is your name?" He cast a toothy smile at her and drew his hand through his short black hair.

"Hi Theo. I am Sophia. Nice to meet you!" She shot him back a smile. She and Theo talked the rest of the train ride and she learned many things about him. Theo is also a first year and can't wait to see Hogwarts and see which house he would be sorted into. They also gossiped about the fact that the quasi celebrity Harry Potter is coming this year.

The time flew by and they had arrived at Hogwarts. Theo stayed near Sophia and they entered the castle. The first years were ushered into the room just before the entrance hall and the room came alive with the sounds of children excitedly talking to one another. Sophia waited patiently for the doors to open knowing her father would be seated at the high table, expecting the first years. Sophia could hear a small disagreement breaking out several feet away from her. She lifted her head over the crowd and spotted Harry Potter speaking to a boy with blond hair and a devilish smirk on his face. Then the doors opened and the first years entered she glance up at the high table and spotted her father. Severus Snape was scanning the crowd with a look of utter malice.


	2. Sorted (Ch 2)

A huge thank you to Steph for my first ever review! Please send in a review to let me know what you think and if I should continue the story!

Thanks for reading!

* * *

Looking away from her father, Sophia noticed the pointy hat placed on a stool that would decide which house she would be sorted into. Despite her feelings of apprehension, since she hated when all the attention was placed on her, she was excited to see which house she would call her own for the next seven years. It took a minute before Sophia realized that names were already being called.

"Lavender Brown!" The girl walked over to the hat and sat on the stool looking like she wanted to shrink into oblivion. The Sorting Hat pondered for a moment and then shouted. "Gryffindor!" The Gryffindor table clapped loudly and happily received her. Names continued to be called and Sophia waited patiently shifting from foot to foot.

"Sophia Darlow!" She was called! Sophia froze momentarily as all eyes shifted to where she was standing. She walked up to the stool and sat down shakily. The Sorting Hat was placed on her head and it began to speak so only she could hear it. "Hmmm… Sophia _Darlow_. You are _very_ interesting. You are very intelligent but also cunning. So many secrets and you have such an unusual past. Hmmm… So where to put you… Ravenclaw!" Sophia breathed a sigh of relief. It would not have been bad to be placed in Slytherin, but Sophia was tired of the dungeons since she spent most of her life there. She knew her father was probably a bit disappointed but since she knew her mother was a Ravenclaw, he would not be upset. After all, she wasn't sorted into Gryffindor. He hated that house for some reason. A roar of applause sounded and she joined her new house. Sophia cast a quick glance at her father who wore his usual face of bored indifference, but then he located eyes with his daughter and she saw the smallest flicker of pride dart across them. She broke the eye contact and looked up at the stool waiting for everyone else to be sorted.

"Theodore Hughes!" The boy from the train stood up and took his place on the stool still with a big smile on his face. 'Does he ever not smile? It's a bit unnerving…' The Sorting Hat was on his head deliberating. "Gryffindor!" It said at last. Sophia felt a pang of disappointment and cast her face down for a moment. She wanted Theo to be in Ravenclaw with her but she knew she would make friends in her new house.

After all the names were called, a huge feast appeared on the table to everyone's delight. Students were happily getting to one another or catching up. After the meal, Headmaster Dumbledore stood up and gave his welcome back address, which also consisted of warnings about restricted locations. Sophia made a careful note, she did not want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

The Ravenclaw prefect Robert Hilliard led Sophia along with the other first year Ravenclaws up to the tower. "We are the luckiest house if you ask me. We have a big airy common space and an excellent view of many locations around Hogwarts including the Lake, the Herbology Gardens…." Sophia stopped listening she was taking in all the excitement around her and enjoying her chance to finally see the castle she had been living in for years.

Robert answered the riddle and the entrance to the tower opened. Sophia entered the common room and was amazed by how spacious it felt. The arch windows had blue and brown drapes on matching the dark blue carpet on the floor. Sophia loved the color blue, it reminded her of the ocean peaceful yet strong. She could see herself enjoying this place. There were plenty of bookshelves and nooks and crannies for her to sit in and feel at peace and she loved the majestic feel of it all.

Sophia quickly claimed a bed next to a window with a view. After the dungeons this change of scenery was happily accepted. However, she knew her room in the dungeons was still waiting for her and took a mental note to visit her father at some point when she could slip away. For now, she settled onto her bed and relaxed. She wondered briefly about the boy from the train and if he was enjoying his new house as much as she was. She heard the prefect calling everyone back into the common room. 'Oh no… it's time for ice breaker games.' A feeling a dread washed over her knowing she would have to divulge information about herself and know that at some point all eyes would be on her again. 'I hope I don't say something incorrect or embarrassing.'


	3. Mrs Snape (Ch 3)

Sophia made it through the ice breakers relatively unscathed. Only once did she accidentally give the wrong name. She decided the next thing she needed to do was try to befriend Harry Potter. Dumbledore requested she get close to him to help keep an eye on him and thought she would be a good choice since she was a student of the same year. She and Dumbledore were close since she spent so much time growing up in the castle. He felt like a grandfather to her. Dumbledore was also one of the few people who knew about Sophia and her mother. It was Dumbledore who first told Maria the story of how her parents' relationship came to be.

Maria Snape was a pureblood Ravenclaw two years ahead of Severus Snape. She was one of the more popular students well liked because she was kind, intelligent, and very beautiful. She had long wavy brown hair with bright blue eyes and was always the first person to help another person in need. Maria and Severus never talked much at Hogwarts but met again once Severus had graduated and was already working for Lord Voldemort. It was Maria who convinced him to be in a relationship with her. Severus always said he never truly understood why she fell for him. He knew he was not the most attractive guy with his crooked teeth and oily hair but she liked his dark mysterious side as well as his sarcastic sense of humor. After Maria convinced Severus they should try being together they fell in love quickly and married.

Once Maria discovered she was pregnant she became worried. She did not want her child involved with Voldemort and she and Severus decided to keep the child a secret to protect her. Several months later Severus overheard the prophecy that would later be attributed to Harry Potter. Except when he heard the prophecy was meant for a girl he changed it to referring to a boy so that his daughter who was due at the end of July would never be suspected as the prophecy child. Therefore, when he reported the prophecy to Voldemort he stated that it referred to a boy not a girl. He then began spending more and more time at home trying to find ways to hide his daughter or possibly to get them all away. Severus had almost completed his plan around the time Sophia had turned one; after all people cannot just leave Voldemort's service. Voldemort noticed Severus' increased absence and blamed it on Maria. So on the same night that Voldemort decided to kill Harry Potter, he also sent a few death eaters to kill Maria. He sent them when he knew Severus (and by luck Sophia) would be away and told them to make it look like a muggle attack.

Maria died that night and according to Dumbledore Severus' was never quite the same, he more a more cynical and pessimistic. He could tell it was not a muggle accident and had his suspicions about what happened. Severus had lost his wife and his childhood friend, it was this that drove him to become a spy for Dumbledore.


End file.
